As a Philadelphia family photographer, I have always enjoyed the challenge of being able to create a seamless experience for my clients. They are happy to make a vacation or anniversary photo session and look forward to their photos showing up on their home’s walls or inside their child’s room. Yet, there are times when the atmosphere that is desired does not exist and the photographer has to pick up the slack. Here are some guidelines to help you and your Philadelphia family photographer create a stellar vacation photo shoot without making it an overwhelming task for the person who has been hired.
As veteran photographers we have always worked with our clients to ensure that we achieve their vision. While it may be fun to hire a photographer who can make your dream come true, you also need to be realistic about what you can deliver. You may want the entire family together for a photo session but your budget may only allow you to include the children.
Remember, the vacation photographs should be fun and not overwhelming. You don’t want to put too much stress on the photographer while trying to produce a relaxed atmosphere. Most people enjoy being able to relax in the sun, but you also want to capture the wonderful moments as they happen. One way to do this is to invite everyone to participate by taking and sharing their own photographs.
Your photographer needs to be open to suggestions from you as well. Let them know if you want to take a group photo or if you want to keep things personal. They will appreciate your input and will be more than happy to accommodate you. If the photographer isn’t willing to make a photo request, then that tells you they need to let you get away.
If you are hosting a yearly event and are offering a weekly photo service, this is also a great opportunity to get everyone in the same place at the same time. Try to keep some space in the room for everyone to sit, chat and have fun. This way everyone gets to experience the event at the same time and is happy to capture the pictures.
The goal is to allow everyone to interact so that family members feel that they have to try and figure out how to take the photograph. The photos will be better than if you all just stood around and waited for the perfect moment. Photos taken while everyone is talking, laughing and enjoying the weather will be more memorable than the ones taken when the camera was aimed at the face and everyone just remained still.
Don’t be afraid to ask the photographer questions about the environment of the location, the weather and the number of people you can fit in the photo. You need to get everything that you can about the location so that you can decide how many to include in the shot. You also need to take into consideration the background and surroundings of the area so that the photographer has plenty of options.
Having all family members in the photo together is just the beginning. You also need to ask each individual if they would like to participate in the photo shoot. It’s always a good idea to have the photographer’s number available if you want to return in the future for a fun photo session.